1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to failure monitors for a functional path within an integrated circuit.
2. Related Art
A critical timing path of an integrated circuit (IC) refers to a path from an input to an output which has a maximum delay. Therefore, the critical paths of an IC determine the maximum speed at which the IC can operate. As a circuit ages, aging effects, including hot carrier injection (HCl), negative bias temperature instability (NBTI), IR-drop, affect the timing of functional paths, including these critical timing paths. These aging effects become even more pronounced as ICs continue decrease in size. These effects affect an IC's performance and can cause failure in timing of the critical paths of the IC. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the effects of aging on functional paths, such as these critical timing paths.